The WHO is currently tracking the COVID-19 variant Mu which has been detected in 48 of 50 US states. Reuters
The World Health Organization tracks a COVID-19 variant named "Mu."
Mu, also known by B.1.6211, was first discovered in Colombia and has since been found in 39 other countries.
According to the WHO, it is capable of evading vaccine immunity by having a "constellation mutations".
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The World Health Organization (WHO), is monitoring a new COVID-19 variation that it claims could be able to evade immunity from vaccines and previous COVID-19 infections.
The B.1.621 variant, also known as Mu, was first discovered in Colombia in January 2012. Since then, it has been found in 39 countries and was included on the WHO's watchlist as of August 30.
The WHO reported that the variant has a "contrast of mutations that indicate potential immune escape properties."
In its bulletin, the WHO stated that further research will be needed to determine if the mutation can overcome immune defenses to COVID-19 as was the case with the Beta variant.
Outbreak.info reports that 1,953 cases have been reported for the Mu variant in the US. As of press time, the Mu variant has not been reported in any states except South Dakota and Nebraska.
"At the moment it seems like there's real cause for concern in USA and Central America. But as we saw with Delta," Danny Altmann, an immunology expert from Imperial College London, told The Telegraph.
Mutations in the COVID-19 virus are causing havoc around the world. The deadly Delta variant of COVID caused a massive wave of COVID-related infections in India, and led to an increase in cases in the USA.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone who is fully vaccinated wear masks indoors due to the recent surge in American cases.
The US reported daily averages of 166,080 COVID-19 infection cases per day as of September 1, according to The New York Times' COVID-19 tracker. This brings the total number of COVID-19-related infections in the country to 39,527.445, as of press time. This represents an 18% increase in COVID cases in the US over the past 14 days.
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